Gabriel Valencia (1799–1848)
Posted by Mitch Williamson in Battle on Friday, November 6, 2009
A prominent Mexican general, Gabriel Valencia quarreled with General Antonio López de Santa Anna and was disgraced at the Battle of Padierna (Contreras) in August 1847.
Valencia, who was born in Mexico City, joined the Spanish army as a youth. After fighting various insurrections against the Spanish government, he joined the forces of Agustín de Iturbide in 1821. Continuing in the Mexican army, Valencia was soon a brigadier general and ally of General Antonio López de Santa Anna. Santa Anna and Valencia continued to work together to gain political advantage, including participating in the overthrow of President Anastasio Bustamante in 1841. Valencia also helped depose President José Joaquín Herrera in 1845 and aligned himself with new president Mariano Paredes y Arrillaga.
Valencia was stationed at San Luis Potosí in 1847, and he argued with Santa Anna about attacking General Zachary Taylor’s army in northern Mexico. Santa Anna instead ordered Valencia and his Army of the North to join the Army of the East in attempting to stop General Winfield Scott’s advance from Mexico City. Settling at Padierna against Santa Anna’s wishes, Valencia then refused to obey Santa Anna’s orders to pull back toward Churubusco. On the eve of the Battle of Padierna (Contreras), Santa Anna had advanced reinforcements toward Valencia, only to withdraw them. The following day, August 20, Valencia’s force was wrecked in a battle that lasted less than 30 minutes. Santa Anna’s refusal to help Valencia has been interpreted by some as an effort to disgrace Valencia with an embarrassing and costly loss. After the battle, Santa Anna issued orders to have Valencia shot on sight. Valencia retreated through the backcountry to safety.
Valencia died in Mexico City in 1848, shortly after the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo had been signed. U.S. soldier J. J. Oswandel recalled that “his death has caused a gloom and great mourning among the gentle portion of the community. At San Angel all the church bells tolled in sorrow at his death.... It is a well-known fact that if Gen. Santa Anna, with his twelve thousand troops who were in reserve, had supported. Gen. Valencia at the battle of Contreras...our army would not so easy have gotten into the city of Mexico....”
For further reading:
Alcaraz, The Other Side, 1850;
Costeloe, The Central Republic in Mexico, 1835–1846, 1993;
DePalo, The Mexican National Army, 1822–1852, 1997;
Oswandel, Notes of the Mexican War, 1885.
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